Vacant seats: Speaker had no business joining the suit—Attorney General

The Attorney General has stated that it was inappropriate for Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin to hire personal lawyers in the ongoing Supreme Court lawsuit concerning the status of four legislators.

The court had previously stayed the execution of the Speaker’s ruling, which aimed to declare the seats of these MPs who switched political allegiances ahead of the general election.

According to AG Godfred Yeboah Dame, his office is the proper entity to represent public officials in such cases.

He explained that, as a public office holder, it is his mandate to represent the Speaker:

“The Constitution designates the Attorney General as the defendant in all actions involving the government, including its parliamentary arm,” he argued.

The AG further clarified, “The first defendant (the Speaker) is not even a proper party to the proceedings before the court, and his absence will not impede the court’s ability to proceed with the hearing of the matter.”

He added, “It is even improper for the first defendant to be joined in this action; the proper defendant should solely be the Attorney General.”

The Attorney General’s comments came after the Speaker hired lawyers for the case.

However, the AG maintained that the matter could have been resolved without the defendant’s legal representation.

Earlier today, the Supreme Court dismissed an application from Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin seeking to overturn its ruling that suspended his declaration regarding the affected parliamentarians.

This ruling follows an initial suit filed by Effutu MP Alexander Afenyo-Markin, which challenged the Speaker’s declaration.

Mr Bagbin’s legal team contended that the Supreme Court lacked jurisdiction in this matter, among other arguments presented in court.

Ultimately, the Supreme Court adjourned the substantive case to November 11.

Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has also ordered the Speaker to file relevant documents by Wednesday, November 6.